A Walk Through Perdition Chapter 1: Separation
by Piester
Summary: What was suppose to be a normal supply run for the safe house turned into chaos. Ambushed by a Tank, Zoey is separated from the other survivors in the waking nightmare that has become life. Injured and on the run, will her wits and reflexes save her or will she succumb to the world and be swallowed by its creatures.


"Goddamn it, get back!" Bill bellowed as the team scattered seconds before the explosion shook the street. Debris flew into the air clouding the view of the survivors as it began to rain back down to the earth pinging off the buildings and over turned cars in the now destroyed street, eventually the dirt settled from the explosion that the Tank had set off with a large chunk of the road as it struck a tanker truck that had rolled onto its side. The ensuing flames engulfed the cityscape turning it into a twisted hell of metal, glass, and concrete. In the split second before being sent through a nearby shop window, Zoey had seen Louis and Bill dive into an alleyway next to a bakery on the opposite side of the street, and Francis being sent through the front plate glass window of the shop itself when the explosion happened.

The glass of the broken front window crunched under her body as Zoey twisted and struggled to her feet cutting her hand. "God damn, that hurt" she mumbled to herself as she could hear the cries of agony from the infected writing as the flames lapped up their flesh devouring it as greedily as they themselves preyed on the living. "Move it people, get your asses up!" Zoey could hear Francis yell faintly over the flames as the ringing subsided in her ears.

The ground shook as the Tank had decided to pursue her, as it bashed the car in its path off to the side as it charged the shop she had been thrown into.

_Move… move… move NOW!_

Zoey's fogged mind screamed for her to run as her body slowly began to obey the order as she limped towards the back of the store. As she passed behind the glass counter and into the darkened doorway that led to the kitchen, an infected lunged at her as she passed into the doorway. Zoey shoved the muzzle of her handgun into its mouth pushing it behind her, pulling it off balance as she pulled the trigger, stumbling into a half sprint as she took the exit door. Putting all her weight into her stride she knocked the door open and she spilled out into the alley behind the store, taking herself off balance as she twisted, falling to her ass.

The Tank entered through the broken front window of the shop and charged into the counter, howling madly as it shouldered the door frame and collapsed part of the wall down onto the freshly killed infected. Zoey turned as she scrambled to her feet, digging her shoes into the littered back alley gaining traction as she sprinted away in time. Seconds later plaster, brick, and timbers splintered and shot forward against the wall behind where she had been sitting as the Tank bashed through the wall growling.

_Oh shit! Oh shit!_

Zoey's mind raced and poured adrenaline into her blood as she struggled to keep ahead of the infected beast on her heels. The Tank dogged Zoey as she ran down the alleyway, flinging her arms back occasionally to squeeze off a couple rounds. The bullets dug into the flesh of the Tank's chest harmlessly, or caused it hardly any pain at all as it served only to infuriate the monstrosity even further than it already had. The slide of the handgun locked back as it fired the last round in the chamber, "Shit! Shit! Shit!" Zoey chanted to herself like her personal mantra as she jammed it into the holster on her thigh, firing with the remaining handgun. The growl of the Tank grew into to a thunderous roar as it gained on her.

The chase was nearing its end as she sprinted down the alley. Its end was drawing in sight; an over turned dumpster that was in front of a chain link fence. Zoey poured her remaining strength into her legs as they screamed for her to stop, but she pressed on leaping at the dumpster. Her boot caught the rim of the dumpster, her stride carrying her up and over the fence as gravity quickly regained control and she started her descent to the ground below. Landing on the ball of her foot Zoey tucked into a roll, tumbling over on her shoulder and back up into an off kilter run before regaining her balance. The tank howled in rage and struck the dumpster sending it into the fence as he tried to climb over. However, his slowness gave Zoey all the edge she needed to slip down under some boards nailed to the door frame and into the back door of a building before the Tank cleared the top of the fence, losing sight of her.

Zoey could feel her heart hammer in her chest as she held her breath as the Tank rumbled by, continuing down the alleyway. When the footfalls of the Tank disappeared she exhaled slowly, the euphoric aura that had shrouded her body was fading fast as the dark tendrils creeped in on the sides of her vision and the pain seeped in from the wounds she had sustained. Zoey took a few deep breaths trying to get herself under control while digging into her hip pouch pulling out the last fresh clip and slapping it into her pistol in hand, dropping the empty one back in with collection of other empties.

_Great, fifteen rounds left, no pain killers to take the edge off, and I'm in unknown territory with no one at my back… Perfect…_

Limping, she proceeded deeper into the building. Zoey had entered through what was to be the staging ground for unpacking construction equipment. Boxes were piled with reflective vests, power tools, climbing harness, and what appeared to be a long since cold box of cheap coffee. Taking her time to peruse her surroundings Zoey stopped by a small grouping of wooden crates. Wedged halfway into one of the crates as a well-worn crowbar that had is paint chipped and flecked from months or years of heavy use. A small smile spread across her face, "Could come in handy…" she chuckled to herself, realizing she was talking to herself at this point and shook her head to get her bearings straight before continuing on.

_I would kill for a hot bath to soak in and a glass of moscato…_

Zoey nearly caught herself drooling at the idea of such indulgences that were no longer part of her world, at least not yet. But more than the pleasures of her past life, she needed a safe place to rest and bandages to cover up these wounds. Food and water wouldn't be bad either. But none of what she needed would likely be laying around. The building looked like it was entering the final stages of demolition. Walls had been stripped of their wiring, the dry wall was mainly removed from what she had seen.

Sneaking her way through the dilapidated building Zoey had little resistance as she made her way to the stairs, as the way to the front of the building was blocked by a city bus that had turned over and slid halfway into the first floor. Save for the handful of infected she managed to bash over the head after catching them unaware, there was not much to pose a threat to her, thankfully. The last thing she wanted, no needed, was to attract the attention of the Tank to come back and finish its grisly job. Being pulverized to death or twisted like a human rag doll was not very high on her list of ways to be booted from this mortal coil.

Climbing to the second floor she found the third floor had collapsed down on it, and the same for the next several floors. "Great…" she whispered looking out at the chasm that stood between her and the front of the building.

_Perhaps there are some useable rooms on the penthouse floor I could crash in…_

Zoey thought as she climbed higher and higher up the staircase finally reaching the top floor. The only one more set of stairs to go up to the roof access, which she knew she would be boned if something was up here because she couldn't run down the stairs fast enough to out run a horde.

The top floor penthouse hallway looked like it had once been decorated in an Art Deco style from the fifties, but now it was a shell of its former grandeur. But most importantly was that the hallway was quiet. No sounds of gurgling sickness of the boomer or the muffled grunts of the infected. Zoey paused to take in the sight just outside of the window. The sun was slowly setting into the horizon splashing brilliant hues of red, orange, and yellow into the hallway setting it seemingly ablaze with its radiance. Zoey raised her hand to shield her eyes as it was blinding her from the darkness of the stairwell.

Taking a deep breath Zoey turned looking down the hall. It looked as though it continued down several meters into a ninety-degree angle to the right, giving it an "L" shape. Raising crowbar slightly and training her handgun in front of her she slowly crept down the hallway sweeping right to left in a motion that was honed over countless hours of first person shooters and refined since the apocalypse started. Reaching the corner of the hallway Zoey rested her back against the crumbling wallpaper and leaned ever so slightly to peek out of the corner of her eye.

_Thank god…_

Turning the corner Zoey moved heel to toe down the carpeted hall. A soft ticking of something hard on the wooden floors caught her attention. Zoey cocked her head to the side listening; she could have sworn the floor had creaked behind the room to her left. The tiny bronze plaque on the wall read 1205B. The high pitched scream of a Hunter sounded from behind the door, Zoey's eyes went wide as she cocked the hammer of her handgun back and slowly started to back away from the door.

_Oh fuck me… I hope to god it is someone's oversized parakeet on its deathbed…_

Even further down her list of ways to die than being pulverized to death was having the sickle like claws of the Hunter tear into her and shred her like a scratching post. The first thud against the door spike her adrenaline as she turned and ran.

_Definitely not a parakeet!_

The dark wood of the door cracked and splintered as it began to fracture under the assault of the Hunter. With one final lunge the door splintered as the Hunter hit it spraying wood chips across the hall as it crouched and ran down the hall following the scent of the living prey. Its thick talons clacking against the hardwood flooring as it scurried along. Zoey had barely made it back to the entrance of the stairwell as the Hunter rounded the corner screaming as it saw its prey. Raising her handgun she squeezed off three rounds, hitting the Hunter in the shoulder as she opened the stairwell door and slammed it behind her. Taking the crowbar she jammed it into the door frame of the stairwell door and wedged it against the door to try and buy herself some precious time.

The stairs made her legs scream in protest as she tried to take them two at a time as she started to hear the thrashing of the Hunter against the door. Zoey jogged up the final flight to the roof, knocking it open and stepping out into the light of fading evening. The sky had turned a violet with shades of pink splashed across the sky and the dark inky sky above splashed with the lights of billions of stars.

Stumbling forward as she turned and started to back away from the door. Zoey flinched as the Hunter started to pound on the wood door that separated her from a grisly death. As the first chunk of the door was splintered off she gripped the gun in both hands, taking a marksman stance. Not that she was a crack shot like Bill, but she needed every bullet to count if she wanted to get out of this alive. Within seconds the Hunter tore down the decrepit door between then and prowled out onto the roof. Zoey swallowed hard as her heart pounded against her ribcage.

_Did it… just smile? I think it fucking smiled!_

The Hunter bared its fangs at her as it readied itself for the end of its hunt. Zoey squeezed the trigger. Once, twice. The Hunter howled at her attempts at preservation as she hit it. The hunter had decided to end its toying with the meal and started darting towards her in a zig-zag shaped pattern. It stared her down with those lifeless cold eyes of a beast that shone orange in the waning light of day.

_Shit! Shit! Shit! _

Zoey backpedaled, mentally keeping cadence with her favorite mantra when she was in trouble, firing round after round missing the Hunter as it leapt towards her from the remaining three meters between them; the slide of the handgun locked back as it had run out of ammunition. Zoey took a step back as it seemed to happen in slow motion, her final thoughts running through her mind as they escaped her lips as a weak plea, "Please god, not like this…" she said as the warmth of tears gathered at the edges of her eyes as she put her arms up as the Hunter pounced on her, riding her to the ground nearly knocking the wind out of her as she gasped and saw its bloodied claw raised, poised to strike at her exposed throat. It screamed, as it had conquered its prey.

_I don't want to die here alone!_


End file.
